VATICAN : POPE : BEGIN AGAIN FROM GOD AND OTHER NEWSRETURNING TO THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE IN
ORDER TO RELAUNCH EVANGELISATION Vatican
City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father received participants
in the sixty-fourth general assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, to
whom he delivered an address focusing on the challenges of the new
evangelisation in a society increasingly distanced from God. "Our situation
requires renewed drive, aimed at the essential aspects of Christian faith and
life", he said. "At a time in which God has, for many people, become the great
Unknown and Jesus is simply an important figure of the past, we cannot relaunch
missionary activity without renewing the quality of our own faith and prayer.
... We will not be able to win mankind to the Gospel unless we ourselves first
return to a profound experience of God".The Pope began his remarks by recalling that this autumn
marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and he
exhorted the prelates to implement its teachings in order to meet the social and
cultural transformations of our time which, he said, "also have visible
consequences in the religious sphere". Societies of ancient Christian tradition
are today characterised by secularism. Thus the spiritual and moral heritage
which lies at the roots of the West "is no longer understood in its profound
significance, ... and a rich soil risks becoming an inhospitable
desert".The Pope identified a number of
worrying trends, including a drop in religious practice and diminishing
participation in the Sacraments. "Many baptised have lost their identity. They
do not know the essential contents of the faith, or believe they can cultivate
that faith without ecclesial mediation. And while many look doubtfully at Church
teaching, others reduce the Kingdom of God to certain broad values, which are
certainly related to the Gospel but which do not touch the central nucleus of
Christian faith"."Unfortunately it is God
Himself Who remains excluded from many people's horizon and, when not met with
indifference, closure or rejection, discourse about God is relegated to the
subjective sphere, reduced to an intimate and private affair which is
marginalised from the public conscience. The heart of the crisis affecting
Europe also arises from this abandonment, this lack of openness to the
Transcendent".In this context, Benedict
XVI highlighted the fact that "new methods of announcing the Gospel or of
pastoral activity are not enough to ensure that the Christian message finds
greater acceptance". As the Council Fathers said, "we must begin again from God,
celebrated, professed and witnessed. ... Our primary task, our true and only
task, remains that of dedicating our lives to the one thing that ... is truly
dependable, necessary and ultimate. Men live from God, from He Whom, often
tentatively and unawares, they seek in order to give full meaning to lives. We
have the task of announcing Him, revealing Him and leading others to meet
Him".The Holy Father continued: "The
fundamental condition in order to be able to speak about God is to speak with
God, increasingly to become men of God, nourished by an intense life of prayer
and moulded by His Grace. ... We must allow ourselves to be found and seized by
God so as to help the people we meet be touched by the Truth. ... The old and
new mission facing us is that of introducing the men and women of our time to a
relationship with God, to help them to open their minds and hearts to the God
Who seeks them and wants to come close to them, leading them to understand that
doing His will does not curb freedom; rather, it means being truly free, it
means achieving true goodness in life."God
is the guarantor not the competitor of our freedom", the Pope added in
conclusion. "Where space is given to the Gospel, and therefore to friendship
with Christ, man realises he is the object of a love which purifies, warms,
renews, and makes us capable of serving mankind with divine
love".

PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA AND PRIME
MINISTER OF MACEDONIA RECEIVED BY THE POPE Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - In a traditional annual
meeting coinciding with the commemoration of the Feast of Sts. Cyril and
Methodius, the Holy Father this morning received in separate audiences Rosen
Plevneliev, president of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Nikola Gruevski, prime
minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, each accompanied by a
delegation. The delegations subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary
of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) -
Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Holy See delegation to the sixty-fifth
World Health Assembly, yesterday delivered an address before that gathering,
which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 21 to 26 May. Speaking English,
the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See's support for Resolution WHA64.9 on
"sustainable health financing structures and universal coverage", which urges
member States to aim for affordable universal coverage and access for all
citizens on the basis of equity and solidarity.He also recalled how Benedict XVI has emphasised the
importance of establishing "real distributive justice which, on the basis of
objective needs, guarantees adequate care to all. Consequently, if it is not to
become inhuman, the world of healthcare cannot disregard the moral rules that
must govern it".Archbishop Zimowski noted
that "more countries, especially those with emerging economies, are moving
towards universal coverage", thanks also to "good policies that promote equity.
... Therefore my delegation strongly believes that in the endeavour to promote
universal coverage, fundamental values such as equity, human rights and social
justice need to become explicit policy objectives", he said.The archbishop made an appeal for high-income countries to
show greater solidarity towards poorer nations in order to overcome funding
shortfalls in health. In this context he quoted the Encyclical "Caritas in
veritate" in which Benedict XVI writes: "More economically developed nations
should do all they can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic
product to development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the
international community has undertaken in this regard".In conclusion the head of the Holy See delegation affirmed
that "progress towards universal coverage cannot be the effort of State
machinery alone. It requires support from civil society. ... With over 120,000
social and healthcare institutions worldwide, the Catholic Church is in many
developing countries one of the key partners of the State in healthcare
delivery, providing services in remote areas to rural low-income populations,
enabling them to access services that would otherwise be out of their reach. The
efforts and contribution of such organisations and institutions towards
universal access, merit the recognition and support of both the State and the
international community, without obliging them to participate in activities they
find morally abhorrent".

FATHER NORMAN WESLIN has died at the age of 81 on May
16. He passed away at his retirement home in Traverse City, Michigan. He was a
former army colonel, husband and priest. Norman's wife Mary died in a tragic
car accident. Norman was ordained a priest in 1986 to the Oblates of Wisdom. He
was in the army for 20 years and also worked with Mother Teresa for several
months. He worked tirelessly for the Gospel of Life. He had been
arrested over 70 times for protests at abortion sites. In 2009 he was arrested
on the campus of the University of Notre Dame for carrying a cross and praying.
This was to protest President Barack Obama's speech. There were 88 protesters on
that day now know as the "ND88".

He founded the "Lambs of Christ" which calls
for peaceful protests to abortion while praying the rosary: http://lambsofchrist.all-catholic.net/He
also founded the organization called " Mary Weslin Homes" for unwed mothers. http://www.maryweslinhomes.org/The
National Director of Priests for Life, Fr. Frank Pavone is quoted as saying:
“Our loss is Heaven’s gain,”Father Weslin’s commitment to unborn children
was so profound that he spent time behind bars on many occasions. He told me in
2001, while awaiting sentencing on a federal charge, that he wasn’t ashamed to
be arrested because Jesus and the Apostles all went to jail. He believed that a
priest’s place was not behind his people, lending encouragement, but out in
front leading the way.”

BISHOP'S CONFERENCE OF IRELAND REPORT: 50th International Eucharistic
Congress Reveals the ‘Through the Eyes of the Apostles’
ExhibitionPilgrims will have an opportunity to travel back
in time at an exciting exhibition at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress
(IEC2012) which will be hosted in Dublin from 10 – 17 June.This
three dimensional exhibition titled ‘Through the Eyes of the Apostles: Life
Overwhelmed by a Presence’ will transport visitors to Capernaum, the village on
the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus lived during His public ministry.
The sensory rich reconstructed surroundings will include the smell of the trees
and the sound of the lapping of waters. It will allow the visitor to walk in the
Apostles footsteps and truly experience what it must have been like at this
pivotal moment in history.Writer, John Waters, a key speaker at the
Congress, who saw the exhibition last year in Rimini, described feeling:
“impossible not to be moved, impossible not to be transported. For what I felt
was that suddenly I had been embraced in something involving a collapsing of
time and space. History was foreshortened and the past 2,000 years became
irrelevant. I was in Capernaum. I had returned to the centre of history. ‘Is He
here?’ I found myself wondering. Is He here?”This exhibition relives what
happened when Jesus arrived in Capernaum and what those people witnessed. It
documents several key elements of His ministry; the waterfall at which John the
Baptist baptized Jesus; the village, Capernaum, a reconstruction of the house of
Peter, where Jesus stayed at an early stage in his public life; the locations in
which Jesus spoke; and finally, the location of the
Resurrection.Further information:• Aisling Harmey,
Media Relations Manager, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, Tel:
00353 (01) 234 9903, Mob: 00353 (0) 87 137 2447 Email: press@iec2012.ie•
Mark Linehan, Media Officer, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012, Tel:
00353 (01) 234 9927 Email: pressofficer1@iec2012.ieNotes for
Editors:• The 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 will
take place in Dublin from 10 – 17 June 2012 with up to 25,000 pilgrims expected
to attend each day at the RDS, including 12,000 international pilgrims
representing more than different countries.• IEC2012 will transform the RDS
into a Eucharistic Village for an eight day festival of faith and culture. The
Eucharist will be celebrated in the Liturgy and adored in the Prayer Space.•
The Congress is an international gathering of people, held every four years
somewhere in the world, which aims to promote an awareness of the central place
of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church; to help improve
our understanding and celebration of the liturgy and to draw attention to the
social dimension of the Eucharist. These aims are achieved through a programme
of pastoral preparation in the years leading up to the Congress and a programme
of liturgical and cultural events, lectures and workshops over the course of one
week. Previous Congresses took place in Quebec (2008) and Guadalajara
(2004)• The theme of the Congress is ‘The Eucharist: Communion with Christ
and with one Another’ (Communion – like Solidarity – means a relationship of
mutual love and self-giving).• On 17 June, more than 80,000 people are
expected to gather and celebrate Statio Orbis, the Final Mass, of the 50th
International Eucharistic Congress 2012 at Croke Park Stadium.• There are a
total of 223 keynote speakers as part of the IEC2012 programme of events, which
includes 38 speakers in the main arena delivering Catechesis (teaching),
personal testimonies, homilies and addresses.• A total of 144 presenters
will deliver workshops during Congress week• There are 41 speakers
delivering addresses at the Chiara Luce Youth Space for young people between 17
and 25 years old.• A total of 160 workshops including talks, addresses,
group reflections, meetings, concerts and plays• The full programme is
available at: http://www.iec2012.ie/programme•
For more information: www.iec2012.ie•
Registration for the Congress is now live on http://www.iec2012.ie/registration

Youngsters from three primary schools across Malabar, La
Perouse and Matraville have spent the past few weeks creating large red, black
and yellow hands to be hung throughout the small garden surrounding the
Archdiocese of Sydney's Reconciliation Church at La Perouse.This "sea of
hands" will be one of the central features of the Sorry Day Commemoration
Ecumenical Service to be held at the little church on Saturday, 26
May.Although La Perouse's historic church has supported small services on
Sorry Day over the past few years, 2012 marks the first time the city's
Aboriginal community has joined together and as respected elder and Executive
Officer of the Archdiocese's Aboriginal Catholic Ministry , Dr Elsie Heiss puts
it: "organised and taken ownership of the day.""Every service and Mass we
hold represents a further step towards healing and reconciliation. But on Sorry
Day this year we are taking this much further and with funding assistance from
the Archdiocese, we are reaching out to the community and inviting everyone
whether Aboriginal or non Aboriginal to join in what will be a deeply-felt
Aboriginal grass roots ecumenical service," she says.

Mary Talence of the Taken Away Children and
her story are told byher granddaughter Dr Anita Heissin her bestselling
book

As part of this reaching out, students from Malabar's St
Andrew's Catholic Primary School, Matraville's Soldiers Settlement School and La
Perouse Public School have not only responded enthusiastically but are currently
putting the finishing touches to the "Sea of Hands" they have created,
replicating the powerful symbol created in 1997 to represent reconciliation
between Australia's Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.In addition to
making large hands in the symbolic Indigenous colours of yellow, red and black,
the youngsters are also learning about the true meaning of Sorry Day, and what
happened over a period of more than 100 years to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children who were forcibly removed from their parents, siblings and
extended families to grow up alone, terrified and bewildered in federal and
state-run orphanages and mission stations.Four years ago, on 13 February
2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made history when he apologised on behalf
of the Federal Government for its involvement in what are now known as "the
Stolen Generations." Although the custom of removing children from
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders began in 1869, it wasn't until 1997 that
the full extent of what had happened to generation after generation of
Indigenous children finally became known with the release of the Government's
"Bringing Them Home: the Stolen Children Report." Made public on 26 May, the day
became known as "Sorry Day" and is commemorated each year by both Indigenous and
non Indigenous Australians.As part of Sorry Day, ceremonies are held across
Australia to remember and pay tribute to the many thousands of children who
suffered after being taken from their families and made wards of the state in
the misguided belief of Colonial times that involved fear of inter-racial
marriage, and later the idea these children were somehow being protected despite
the fact they were taken with no evidence of neglect or that they were at risk
in anyway.Although they are often dubbed children of the Stolen Generations,
Elsie says this is not a term used by Indigenous people. Nor was it used by her
own mother and aunt who were just five and four years old when they were
separated from one another as well as from their parents and other siblings and
forced to grow up alone and far from everyone they knew and loved.

The Sea of Hands created by children will be
partof La Perouse Sorry Day commemorations

"My mother and aunt
always referred to themselves as the 'taken away' kids. That's how the
generations were known. The word stolen is never used," Elsie says.Although
her mother and her aunt were members of the "taken away children," to Elsie and
their other children, they kept the pain, terror and often brutal treatment
received during their childhood to themselves.

"They told us the good
bits and left out the other stuff. The bad things, my mother took with her to
the grave and I only found out about them many years later," she says.Much
of what Elsie discovered came from the meticulous research through ill-kept and
forgotten documents handed down from state and federal aboriginal welfare
agencies, carried out by her daughter, Dr Anita Heiss. Internationally acclaimed
poet, writer and social commentator, Anita is the author of "Who Am I: The Diary
of Mary Talence" which pieces together the story of her grandmother and Elsie's
mother.Taken from her parents to the Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home
aged 5, Mary found herself five years later living in Sydney with a white
family, confused and bewildered and wondering why she didn't fit in.

Elsie Heiss explaining the Indigenous Stations
of the Cross

But until the Government's "Bringing them Home"
report of 1997, Elsie says she had not realised the scale and enormity of what
had been done to her mother and to so many thousands of other children like
her.Today a mother of five and grandmother to eight, Elsie says the
experiences endured by the "taken away children" have left scars on the
following generations and great pain. But she says the most powerful legacy of
all from her mother's experience, is the realisation of just how important
family is and how vital it is to hold those you love close, and constantly
protect and treasure each one. "I tell my kids and grandkids that family
unity is precious, and that staying close to one another and being there for one
another in good times and bad is very important and they must not forget this. I
think of my own mother growing up without her family, and each night when I pray
to the Virgin Mary one of my prayers is to bless my children and grandchildren
with health and strength and love."For Elsie and so many others, Sorry Day
is an emotional time, but it is also a positive one that offers real
reconciliation, healing and positive looking ahead to the future.

Dr Elsie Heiss

"The little booklet
we've printed for Sorry Day 2012 includes a prayer giving thanks to the Lord and
acknowledges that while we 'embrace the past, we are alive in the present and
have hope in the future.'"The Sorry Day commemoration at the Reconciliation
Church, La Perouse will also include music by Indigenous singer songwriter,
Archie Roach and his moving "They Took the Children Away," followed by St
Therese's beautiful "Come Holy Spirit" and US country gospel's Charley Pride
singing "All God's Children." The final song will have everyone present joining
in to sing the joyous "Holy Spirit of this Land", its powerful words summing up
Australia with "from the red earth pindan to the deep blue seas, Holy Spirit of
this land.""We want the Sorry Day commemoration to end on a happy and
hopeful note," says Elsie.More than 250 are expected at the Reconciliation
Church which begins at 11.a.m and where those unable to fit inside the tiny
church will spill out into a garden among the brightly coloured "Sea of Hands."

ASIA NEWS REPORT: by Jian
MeiFr Thaddeus Ma Daqin, vicar general of the
Diocese of Shanghai, and 40 priests celebrated Mass. A large number of
plainclothes police monitored worshippers from other dioceses during the
pilgrimage month. In Hebei, an underground priest and seminarian are arrested.
Mgr Paul Li Yi, bishop of Luan (Changzhi, Shanxi) dies.

Sheshan (AsiaNews) - Thousands of pilgrims
from Shanghai and across the country have gathered to pray at the Our Lady of
Sheshan Basilica today, 24 May, feast day of Mary Help of Christians,
anniversary of the Day of Prayer for the Church in China set aside by Pope
Benedict XVI in 2007, a day that also marks the feast day of the national Marian
shrine.

Amid a drizzle, at half-past 8, Fr Thaddeus Ma Daqin, vicar
general of Shanghai, led the crowd of Catholics in a procession from the
Mid-hill Church, carrying the Statue of the Blessed Mother, up to the hilltop
basilica.

Once at the hilltop church, Father Ma and almost 40 priests
celebrated the Eucharist. Sheshan novices sang during the Mass. There were more
than 3,000 faithful inside the basilica for the Mass.

In his homily,
Father Ma explained the 'Prayer
to Our Lady of Sheshan' written by Pope Benedict XVI for this
particular day, Joseph, a Shanghai Catholic, told AsiaNews.

He
also called the participating faithful to give reverence to our Blessed Mother
and to worship Jesus Christ. "Father Ma's warm and emotional homily moved the
faithful at the scene," Joseph said.

It rained throughout the Mass, but
the hot and humid weather did not deter the pilgrims. "Instead, they prayed
zealously and fervently in the Mass," he said.

In the past, Our Lady of
Sheshan shrine used to draw up to 200,000 pilgrims on the feast day, from all
over China.

Since 2008, a year after the pope set aside that day as a Day
of Prayer for the Church in China, the government has not allowed pilgrims from
any diocese, except that of Shanghai, to visit the shrine in Sheshan.

For
this reason, many dioceses mark the feast day in shrines closer to hope with
Masses, Eucharistic adorations and vigils.

This year, the feast day saw a
new church consecrated in Shanxi province.

Fr John, a priest from the
open Church in Hebei province, told AsiaNews that he led a pilgrimage
to Sheshan earlier this month. He found the security was very tight, as many
plainclothes police were monitoring the pilgrimage site.

He said he
prayed for the fervency of the faithful and unity in his
diocese.

Similarly, several priests from various dioceses shared the same
prayer intention.

Some underground priests told AsiaNews that
they could not have big celebrations as security was tight, but they did remind
their parishioners to pray for the suffering Church in China and for harmony in
their respective dioceses.

"I especially prayed for the all the bishops
and pastors in China, especially those who are under detention. May the Lord
strengthen their faith. We feel lonely in this struggle for the freedom of
faith," Fr Peter, an underground priest, noted.

Last week, a priest and a
seminarian from the underground community in Baoding were taken into custody by
police and taken to an unknown place.

They are likely to undergo sessions
of political indoctrination and brain washing to get them to join the Chinese
Patriotic Catholic Association, whose goal is to control Catholics and set up a
Church independent of the pope.

Bishop Li Yi of Lu'an (Changzhi, Shanxi),
89, died this afternoon, on the special Day of Prayer for China. Ordained in
1949, he was consecrated as coadjutor of Changzhi in 1998.

Agenzia Fides REPORT - Of the 10 countries where 60% of
maternal deaths are associated with pregnancy and childbirth, 5 are African:
Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania. On the
occasion of the upcoming Africa Day, the Spanish Catholic organization Manos
Unidas wants to give a positive connotation to this event: the presentation of
the first children born in the maternity ward of the health center Estaquinha in
the region of Sofala, north of Mozambique. The objective is to ensure continuity
in the program ESMABAMA, operating since 2003 in the mission of Estaquinha, one
of 4 that is already working, which offers total health care in the region.
Thanks to this project it was possible to establish a new center, fully
operational, which has all the necessary means to treat most common illnesses in
the area such as malaria, tuberculosis, respiratory diseases, diarrhea and AIDS.
With the new maternity ward the health program is complete. In many rural areas
of Africa for many women motherhood involves a risk to their health and that of
their children. The establishment of a ward like that of Estaquinha, together
with the preparation of qualified personnel, training of women and pregnancy
under supervision, is the key to give women a safe pregnancy. ESMABAMA also
contributes to the education of children in the area, agricultural production
and improving the health conditions of the population. (AP) (Agenzia Fides
24/5/2012)

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY
GHOSTOn my knees before the great multitude of
heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God.
/ I adore the brightness of Your purity the unerring keenness of Your justice
and the might of Your love. You are the Strength / and Light of my soul. In You
I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace
and I pray with all my heart! To be kept from the smallest sin against You.
Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your
light: and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling
to You and give myself to You and ask You / by Your compassion to watch over me
in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds
/ and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken
Heart / I implore You / Adorable Spirit I Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me
in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Ghost,
Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere / “Speak
Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY
GHOSTO Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to
send the Holy Ghost to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and
Disciples deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my
soul / the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that
I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the
things that are eternal the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with
the light of Your divine truth / the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose
the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that
I may bear my cross with You I and that I may overcome with courage all the
obstacles that oppose my salvation the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God
find know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints the Spirit of
Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable / the Spirit of Fear
that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any
way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples /
and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.DAY 7 OF NOVENA
Heal our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness
pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.The Gift of CounselThe gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural
prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially
in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by
Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us
in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and
Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure
in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that
He may direct thy way in truth."PrayerCome, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my
ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is
good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of
Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.

(Our Father and Hail Mary
ONCE. Glory be to the Father 7 TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven
Gifts)